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Taking a look at Coast Radio Sports…

The post season is on the line this afternoon in Klamath Falls for the Viking Softball team as they take on the number one ranked Henley Hornets at four this afternoon.  The winner advances to the OSAA 4A play off first round next week.

In Florence the Baseball Vikings are battling the Hidden Valley Mustangs for the same privilege.  The pregame show on 106.9 FM begins at 2:45… first pitch at three.  If you want to see the game in person there is plenty of seating available at Jiggs Dodson Field… admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students… student body and senior citizen cards are not valid.

On the track in Winston this afternoon and tomorrow will be the Far West District Track and Field Finals.  The Siuslaw Vikings will be competing both days.

May 18th, 19th, & 20th 2012

It’s Nothing Short of Wild…

One of the largest and oldest community festivals in Oregon gets underway officially today as the curtain rises on the 105^th annual Rhododendron Festival.  Many of the events are centered in the Old Town Florence area… things like the Davis Shows Carnival, Maple Street Vendors Fair and the KCST Classic Car Cruise.  While still more will be scattered at other locations around town.  Chamber Executive Director Cal Applebee says the sun will be out and true to the festival theme, the weekend will be “Nothing Short of Wild”.  That, of course, refers to the slogan for Sea Lion Caves, celebrating 80-years of business in the Florence area.  The visitor attraction and wildlife sanctuary is the official Grand Marshall for the culmination of the festival, the Grand Floral Parade.

Cal Applebee – “The big finale is Sunday, staging starts at 10:00 in the morning over at 27^th and Oak.  Gonna be lots of entries.  We’re up over 80 entries currently and they’re still trickling in.”

Beginning at noon Sunday, entries will parade south on Highway 101 and through Historic Old Town Florence in front of an audience of thousands expected to line the streets in celebration of the ubiquitous pink native Rhododendrons that are just coming into full bloom.

Police Chief Ray Gutierrez says severe budget cutbacks at Lane County will mean a different look for the police presence over this festival weekend.

Ray Gutierrez – “What’s going to be different for us is that we’re not going  to have everybody on Bay Street like we have done.  So we’ll have some patrol, patrolling the streets and taking calls where Sheriff’s Office kind of helped us out in the past in doing.”

In past festivals, there has been a heavy foot-patrol presence of officers in and around Bay Street, keeping an eye on the party atmosphere.  Gutierrez says things have been much more calm in the past few years.

Ray Gutierrez – “I think ever since we did away with the drinking on Bay Street and have the no-alcohol ordinance, it really has calmed things down.”

In addition to keeping an eye on Old Town, officers will be paying special attention to drivers using cell phones this weekend.  An unmarked police vehicle will be patrolling the area watching for that, and all officers will be watching for drivers under the influence.  Along those lines, if you choose to drink and don’t want to drive; the Rhody Express will be providing free rides this evening and tomorrow evening.

You’ll want to be up and at ‘em early tomorrow morning as entries for the Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society Show will be accepted at the Florence Events Center. That’s from seven until nine AM.   Then judges will be sequestered until 1:00 when the doors will open to the public.  Viewing of one of the West Coast’s larges Rhododendron Shows will be open to the public from one to five tomorrow, ten to five Sunday.

The Florence Events Center will also be the site of the annual Rhododendron Pageant.  We heard from three of the princesses earlier this week… our fourth is Marisha Reavis who has already been accepted to Oregon State University where she’ll study Marine Biology.  Princess Marisha is no novice to Rhody Royalty, she was also on the Junior Court when she was in the fifth grade.

Marissa Reavis– “I was actually really awkward and weird kind of because I didn’t fit in with the younger girls and the older girls were not really in my age group so I kind of felt like a loner.”

That gives her a special ‘connection’ with one of the two Junior Court Princesses that she mentors.  She watches over fifth grader Casey Arvilla along with first grader Nikita Barrett. The other three princesses are second grader Phoebe Collinge (CAWL-inj); third grader Joslin Peckham; and Destiny Gustafson representing the fourth grade.  All 9 princesses will be on stage this evening at the annual Queen’s Coronation Pageant, seven PM at the FEC.

By the way, a complete listing of festival events can be found in this Wednesday’s Siuslaw News.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Salem Historic Landmarks Commission has approved plans to transform a 116-year-old building at Oregon State Hospital into a memorial for the cremated remains of patients. The Statesman Journal reports some preservationists had opposed plans to install a large plastic glass window to allow visitors to see the urns for 3,600 former patients.

TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) – A man being evicted from a Tualatin RV park was found dead when Washington County civil deputies arrived yesterday to serve an eviction notice. Police called a hazardous material team because of the odor in the RV, but no dangerous chemicals were found. Police say it appears the 54-year-old man died of natural causes.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The grass has grown back, so fences have been removed at the Lownsdale and Chapman Square parks in downtown Portland where Occupy Portland demonstrators camped in October and November. KGW reports an estimated $85,000 in damage was done to the grounds. Restrooms also needed repairs.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies didn’t have to go far yesterday to arrest a drunken driving suspect. They noticed a car parked awkwardly with two people inside next to the entry gate of the sheriff’s patrol parking lot. Deputies contacted the driver, arrested the 26-year-old Vancouver man for DUI and impounded his car.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A 100-pound falling TV set reportedly has injured 1-year-old twins in Portland, sending both to a hospital. KATU-TV reports that fire officials say the TV was on some kind of unstable box or bench last night at a southeast Portland home. The twins were taken to Oregon Health and Science University Hospital. There was no immediate word on their condition.

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) – A jury has been seated for the trial of a Vancouver, Wash., couple accused of locking up two young autistic boys in a dark room. The Columbian reports opening statements are expected Monday in the trial of Alayna Higdon and John Eckhart. They’re charged with unlawful imprisonment of Eckhart’s sons — ages 5 and 7 — from October 2010 to April of last year.

ENTERPRISE, Ore. (AP) – A Wallowa County grand jury has indicted an eastern Oregon man on a murder charge in the stabbing death of a 26-year-old man outside an Enterprise bar. Michael Gaston of Enterprise has been in jail since shortly after a May 10 altercation outside Lear’s Pub and Grill left Lawrence Mock dead.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland fire investigators say careless smoking started a fire at a condominium complex that injured two firefighters, displaced eight residents and caused almost $1 million damage. Fire officials say Wednesday’s blaze started in a plastic container on the porch and spread to six units.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

CLEVELAND (AP) – Carlos Santana hit a game-ending single with one out and the bases loaded in the 11th inning, capping a two-run rally and lifting the Cleveland Indians to a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners yesterday. Michael Saunders’ run-scoring double in the top of the inning gave Seattle a 5-4 lead, but closer Brandon League couldn’t hold it. Jose Lopez drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a wild pitch. After Shin-Soo Choo struck out, Jason Kipnis walked. Asdrubal Cabrera’s single to right tied it. Santana lined a 3-2 pitch to center for the winning hit.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Alexa Peterson and Janie Takeda each drove in two runs in a six-run first inning and the Oregon Ducks went on to defeat Portland State 7-3 in the NCAA softball Eugene Regional last night. Junior Jessica Moore, who was 27-12 this season, allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in the victory for the 11th seeded Ducks. In the earlier game yesterday, BYU defeated Mississippi State 4-3. The Cougars will play the Ducks before the Vikings play the Bulldogs today.

NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Soccer has suspended Portland Timbers defender Mamadou Danso for one game. Danso was also fined an undisclosed amount for striking Houston forward Calen Carr in the head in the second half Tuesday.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Eugene, Ore., high jumper Jesse Williams cleared 7 feet, 6 1/2 inches last week in his first outdoor meet of the season. He hopes that second-place finish in Qatar is the first step to a memorable season that ends with a gold medal. At 28, Williams is in his prime, and should be one of the favorites heading into the London Olympics. But he first needs to qualify at next month’s U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A 27-year-old Oregon woman has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for starving and physically abusing two of her four children. A jury convicted Maria Moss of Rickreall of four counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment. The children, her oldest, were 12 and 9 at the time. The Statesman Journal reports the abuse came to light when the 12-year-old boy ran away and was caught shoplifting food. He told a Polk County deputy about conditions at home.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a bicyclist has died in a hospital from injuries suffered in a collision with a large truck in downtown Portland. The Portland Police Bureau identified the cyclist yesterday as 28-year-old Kathryn Leah Rickson. Officers say Wednesday night’s collision occurred while the truck driver was attempting to make a right-hand turn.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Board of Education has voted to require Oregon schools to retire their Native American mascots within five years or risk losing state funding. The vote yesterday gives Oregon some of the nation’s toughest restrictions on American Indian nicknames, mascots and logos. Eight high schools will need to change their nickname and mascot by July 2017 or lose state money. Seven schools identified as the Warriors only have to alter their mascot.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Four regional mail processing centers in Oregon have survived the first round of consideration for closure to save money for the nearly broke U.S. Postal Service. A spokesman says the centers in Pendleton, Bend, Salem and Springfield are not on the latest list for consolidation, so will remain open through the vote-by-mail election and the holiday season. The centers weren’t among 140 nationwide slated for closure in phase one, but will be considered among 89 centers in phase two.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Local News

Fun for the kids this weekend…

A lot of the activities set for this weekend’s Rhododendron Festival are aimed at adults.  Lots of motorcycles, shows and exhibits at various venues displaying classic cars, boats and RVs.  There’s an arts and craft show, a gun show and one at the Florence Events Center displaying the namesake for the festival.

But, if you’re a kid, there’s still plenty of things to catch your attention.

All ages are welcome in the Rhody Run, the Rhody Show itself has a section of art created by elementary students and, of course, there’s the Davis Carnival at the Nopal Street Parking Lot every day.

But, all of those are shared with adults.  If you’re looking for something that’s exclusively for kids… you just need to look at Saturday afternoon and the firefighters Junior Parade followed by Kiwanis Kids Games.

There’s no preregistration for either, and no cost to participate.

Junior parade entries begin assembling at Miller Park at 11 AM.  Then at noon, they’ll head north on Oak Street past the schools to the high school JV baseball field.  That’s where they’ll be greeted by a legion of Kiwanians equipped fun, food and games.

One other activity for kids age nine through 13… there are still a few openings left for pooper-scoopers and banner carriers for Sunday’s Grand Floral Parade.  Each participant earns a pass good at the carnival after the parade on Sunday.   Parents must call and pre-register their child today or tomorrow at the Chamber Visitor Center.

Meet Princess Samantha

Tonight will be the final rehearsal for the annual Rhododendron Pageant.  Four area high school seniors will compete on stage, showing off their poise, public speaking, talent and charm for the right to wear the crown and bear the title of Queen Rhododendra 105.  One of those princesses is Samantha Rodriguez.

Samantha Rodriguez — “Yeah, I’ve lived here my whole life.  I wanted to learn how to public speak better.  Because I get shy and nervous.”

Princess Samantha wants to pursue a career in health care and possibly join the air force after high school.  Tickets for Friday night’s pageant are available at the Chamber Visitor Center… or at the door.

Bike To School 

Be extra careful tomorrow when you’re out and about… Tomorrow is “Bike to School Day” in Florence and students at Siuslaw Elementary will be participating.  Principal Mike Harkelroad said there will be a special emphasis on safety… helmets, crossing the highway and observing the rules of the road.  It’s a popular event, he says.  Last year the bicycle racks were overwhelmed and they had bikes parked all over the school.  The event is part of the local observance of National Bike Month.

Your Place For Local Sports

Taking a look at Coast Radio Sports…

Early registration has wrapped up for the 34^th annual Rhody Run set for Saturday morning.  Race organizer Eric Tanikawa says he expects the fields for the five and ten kilometer races to exceed a total of 400 by the time the starting gun fires at 9 AM.  Last year 380 runners made the celebrated circuit through historic Old Town Florence.  Race-day registration begins at 7:30 Saturday morning at the Florence Events Center… awards and presentation of prizes will begin about 10:30.  This year’s race proceeds will be split between a fund for injured teen Trevor Denning and an elementary school cancer patient, Donnie Luizi Jr.

Viking Softball will head out today for Klamath Falls where they’ll face the number one ranked Henley Hornets tomorrow to determine which team will advance to the OSAA Playoffs.  First pitch is set for 4:00.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Siuslaw Baseball will host the Hidden Valley Mustangs at three… that game will air on Coast Radio Sports beginning at 2:45.  Track and Field will be in action tomorrow and Saturday in Winston for the Far West District finals.

HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) – The Washington County sheriff’s office says an Aloha woman is making no attempt to keep her 2-year-old daughter safe. The toddler was found twice this week wandering along a busy road wearing only a diaper. After the first incident Monday deputies tracked the mother to a nearby apartment and arrested Alexandra Watkins on a child neglect charge. Watkins got out of jail Tuesday night and regained custody of her daughter. After the girl was found wandering again the next day, Watkins was jailed again.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Health officials are warning southern Oregon residents to update their dogs’ distemper vaccinations because an outbreak of the virus has been found in the local fox population. The Mail Tribune says wildlife biologists have fielded more than a dozen calls in the past two weeks regarding gray foxes displaying strange behavior, such as walking in circles and foaming at the mouth.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon State trooper who was arrested for causing a bomb scare in Mt. Angel has been sentenced to 5 years of probation. The Statesman Journal reports Joseph Conklin of Springfield pleaded guilty to resisting arrest. Mt. Angel police arrested Conklin in February after he led officers to believe that explosive devices were in two areas of the community.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Lottery is revamping plans for an Internet game site it intended to call “The ORcade.” The launch was put on hold last fall after gambling critics said free games and social media networking might appeal to children. Lottery managers are now recommending some ideas suggested by an advisory group. They include a feature that would shut down the website when a user exceeds a time limit.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.